Greco-Christianity

Bud says: I had a thought this week while I was clicking around on Wikipedia regarding Dante — I noticed more than ever how many references there are to Greek mythology in Inferno. I found myself reading about “the judgement of Paris,” which is a story from Greek mythology I had never heard of. On its Wikipedia page, at bottom, there are some 25 paintings of the scene imagined by different European (Christian) painters between 1400-1900. It’s interesting to think that, at least among the educated and artists, it was really a “Greco-Christianity” as much as a Judeo Christianity. But I regret to say that I received exactly zero education in the Greek classics and myths growing up as a kid in public school. It’s a real loss, and it makes accessing the Western canon that much more difficult. Did you study the Greek myths when you were growing up? My son knows all about Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass though, SO THAT’S NICE.